Love- and other Curses
by My-Sexy-Meagan
Summary: It's a Mad-Swan fanfic. Or is it a Wooden-Swan fanfic? Which will win the private battle for Emma Swan's heart? Will August's bad boy attitude and charm win her over, or will Jefferson's eccentric demeanor win out? Rated M for smut. Should get good later ;)
1. Chapter 1

Author: My-Sexy-Meagan

Characters: Emma, August, Jefferson

Rating: M

Disclaimer: I own nothing but my fantasies. If I did own anything Once related it would most definitely be Rumple, but sadly I do not :(

Chapter 1

Emma never thought that she'd have a second chance to lose her heart, much less have two guys fighting for it. She'd tried her best to lock love out of her life. In the foster system nobody had ever loved her. In fact when she was 13, her foster parents (the perpetually drunk Bill and the druggie Gretchen) had hit her multiple times a day to reinforce that fact. They never had, and never would love her. She was the source of their income and nothing more.

Some of the homes had been easier to live in than others, but after she had turned 13 she had gotten shoved in homes that only took her money and shoved her into corners, unnoticed and unwanted. When she turned 18 and finally had her freedom, she got a small apartment, and begun working as a waitress to make ends meet. During those brief two years she had fallen, and hard. But she shook those thoughts out of her head now. Too painful.

She groaned as she set her head down on her desk. Jefferson and August? Really? Both of them had made their intentions to seduce her quite clear. She'd thought that after 4 months in Storybrooke her life would settle down, at least a little bit. But quite the opposite had happened. Arson, winning sheriff's office, kidnappings (by the very man who now wanted in her pants). How much could one person deal with?

She'd made it clear to both men, however, that she wasn't interested. Yet they both had continued to ply her with very flattering, and sometimes unwanted, attentions. She'd agreed to allow them three date nights and two coffee dates each to appease them. But it had nothing to do with her desire for male attention, she told herself sternly. It was all about making them leave her alone.

Tonight she had a date with august. He wouldn't tell her where he was taking her though; said it was a surprise. They were supposed to meet at Granny's at 7:30.

7:30! Emma looked at her wrist watch it was6:45. She had just enough time to run back to Mary Margaret's place to shower and put on something nice. As she grabbed her keys to her VW, affectionately referred to as The Clunker, she puzzled over August's directions once again.

"Wear something comfy but nice," he'd instructed her. "Boots or tennies would be better than heels."

She thought this indicated a good bit of walking, but it also made her apprehensive of what they might be doing.

She put all thoughts of what-ifs and possibilities out of her head as she reached Mary Margaret's apartment. She hurried out of The Clunker and inside. It was now 7:05and she rushed through her shower. It was7:20 when she got out, and she patted herself on the back for laying out her outfit before leaving for work. After she got dressed she took 2 minutes to swipe mascara on her lashes and paint her lips red. Tousling her hair with a towel set her golden curls in a perfectly messy arrangement around her head.

Running out the door she headed down the street to Granny's. Her outfit consisted of a tight, v-necked, white tank-top under a brown jacket and paired with butt-hugging skinny jeans and her knee high leather boots.

Her outfit was just right from the look August gave her, scanning her head to toe and lingering in certain areas. He grabbed the two cups sitting on the counter in front of him and walked towards her.

"Here. Two sugars and a cream. Hope you like it. We've got to get moving." He smiled at her expression as he held the door for her.

"August! I just got here. Aren't you going to at least feed me?" She tried to keep the whine out of her voice. It had been a long day. She took a sip from her cup on her way through the door. Not bad.

(insert possible chapter break if it's too lengthy)

"Maybe. You'll have to wait and see." he grinned over his shoulder at her. They headed up the street towards his bike.

He handed her a helmet and then buckled his on. He held out a hand to steady her as she climbed on behind him. She didn't grip his waist until he began to move forward. Then she lurched forward pressing her front against his back. She turned her head to the side and watched the scenery pass instead of paying attention to the way his shoulders shook with laughter.

The ride passed quickly, taking them from the quietly busy streets to the calm and peaceful winding roads of the woods. The ride was over too quickly and Emma took three seconds longer than necessary to let go of her grip on August's waist. If he noticed, he didn't let on.

They had come to a quaint little cabin in the middle of the woods. It couldn't have contained more than three rooms, tops. She wondered just exactly what he had in mind bringing her here.

"August. I didn't agree to go on a date with you just so you could take me somewhere secluded and jump me at first chance." Her voice held equal notes of suspicion and warning. He looked at her and raised his brows slightly.

"Emma! Would I ever?" He feigned shock and dismay at her words while he quickly strapped their helmets to the bike. Then he grabbed her hand, disregarding her stunned inhale and led her to the cabin. He quirked a grin at her as he opened the door and walked in, pulling her along by her wrist. Emma was slightly disappointed.

"August, there isn't anything in here." She glanced around the empty room. There was a small kitchen separated from the main room by a thin bar. At the far end of the room there was a narrow hallway. She headed down the hallway, noting the cramped bathroom to the left, and opened the door at the end of the hall. She stepped into a room almost as large as the main one. She noticed a workbench on her left, a weird looking stand by the window in front of her, piles of skinny blocks on her left, and an overwhelming smell of wood.

"It's a lathe." August said in her ear, making her jump. He put his hand on her waist and chuckled into her ear. His warm breath wafted down her neck causing goosebumps to ripple down her arms and back. He put his hands on her shoulders and slid her jacket down her arms. She couldn't help but shiver.

"Cold?" he asked, feigning innocence.

"No. Of course not." She finished shrugging out of her jacket and he threw it over the stool in front of the workbench. "Now will you tell me what we're going to do?" She crossed her arms over her chest to keep her arousement from being noticed.

"No." He grinned at her, yet again. "I'll show you." He quickly divested himself of his own jacket and walked towards the blocks in the right corner of the room. He investigated each block individually and at length pulled one that looked just like the others from the pile.

"Perfect!" He beamed at her and motioned her towards the lathe.

"Now, we start the magic." He stepped behind her crowding her towards the weird looking machine. She looked at it doubtfully.

As if he could tell her suspicion he laughed again behind her. He reached around either side of her and placed the narrow block in the holders on the ends of the machine. He then grabbed two pairs of safety glasses and handed one to her while putting the other on.

"Hope you don't mind getting dusty." With that he grabbed a chisel and handed it to her.

"How am I supposed to use this?" She hefted the thing like a tiny baseball bat.

"Just hold it, right now." He reached around her again and flicked on a switch on the side. Then he repositioned the chisel in her hands and grabbed her other arm, spooning her while standing in front of the machine. He then moved their arms towards the rotating block.

When their hands met the block, the chisel jerked but August held Emma's arms steady against the vibrations of the machine. During the entire process Emma was aware of the taunt (taut I dunno how to spell it properly? Love Heather) body behind her. If he turned his head the right way, he would breathe down her neck. When his warm breath ghosted down her skin, goosebumps would race all the way to her toes.

She watched in fascination as the wood began to narrow and take shape under their combined effort. It was still unrecognizable until August turned the machine off. She gasped as he pulled it off the lathe and blew the remaining dust off the unfurled petals of a perfectly formed rose.

"Oh, August! It's so perfect! Did we really make this?" She looked up at him in completely unguarded wonder.

"You watched it, you tell me." He offered a pleased smile into her upturned face. "Yes, we made it. Together." He grabbed her left palm away from the stem and kissed the meaty part of her thumb. She gave a little startled gasp and pulled her hand away, but not hurriedly.

He directed her towards the work bench and opened three bottles of paint: one red, one gold, and one green.

"Paint this for me. I'll be back in a little while." She became so engrossed in the fine details of painting her rose that she didn't even notice that he left her by herself for close to an hour. As she finished tipping the petals with gold she put her brush in the mug of dirty water and took her rose with her.

"August?" She called down the hallway. She could hear muffled banging from the kitchen area. She walked into the main room to see a table newly set up and covered with a white tablecloth. Two white candles sat at either end of the table and a clear vase sat in between the candles, in the middle of the table. Emma took the clear invitation and set her rose in the vase before moving to the kitchen area.

As she walked towards the kitchen she saw August moving around the kitchen preparing the food. She took a quick inventory of the smells and guessed that they would be having something Italian tonight.

"Hey. I finished painting." August looked up at the table and grinned at the rose for a brief second, and then continued to move industriously around the kitchen. "Gonna tell me what's on the menu?" She crossed her arms again.

"Well, first I plan on a hearty little salad and then there will be spaghetti with Italian sausage and a surprise for dessert." He grinned again and took his apron off. He gestured her to grab a plate and a covered basket.

"Wow. That was amazing. I had no idea you were a chef, too." Emma was unusually impressed by August's efforts. "The strawberry cheesecake was delicious." She leaned back and stifled a yawn.

"Why, am I boring you, Sherriff?" August grinned his familiar lopsided grin.

"No. No, no." She assured him quickly. "Just a long day at the office. You know." She shrugged non-chalantly. "Oh, my god! It's 9:45!" (Kinda early)

"C'mon. I'll take you home. I can clean this up tomorrow." he added after seeing her expression. Before they left Emma grabbed her rose from the vase.

The ride home was chillier and she was glad for the comforting heat radiating from August's back. He dropped her off in front of Mary Margaret's apartment.

"Thanks, August. Tonight was absolutely wonderful." She turned to go back inside, hoping he wouldn't notice her flaming cheeks. Before she could get more than a half step away from him he had snagged her wrist again. Yanking on it he pulled her, a little unsteadily, closer to him. She gasped a tiny little thing that caused her cheeks to flame up even more. Why was she being this girly? She normally wasn't one to let a guy sweep her off her feet. But all of her frivolous thoughts were quickly silenced when he dropped his mouth to hers.

The kiss was everything at once. Both the sweetest and gentlest she'd ever experienced, and yet the most brutal and terrifying. She gasped against the pleasure of the kiss and against the terror coursing through her veins. But as he shoved his tongue into her still open mouth she quickly forgot everything. She responded without thought, moving her tongue to allow his to plunder her mouth. When that had gone on long enough, her tongue struck back, wrestling to enter his mouth and taste him. As soon as she had won her little battle and barely begun to taste him, he pulled back. She looked at him in complete shock at this turn of events.

He gave her a shove, not unkindly, to set her up on her feet. With that movement he started his bike and drove off, not even giving her a grin over his shoulder. He left her staring down at her perfect rose and touching her lips.


	2. Chapter 2

Author: My-Sexy-Meagan

Characters: Emma, August, Jefferson

Rating: M

Disclaimer: I own nothing but my fantasies. If I did own anything Once related it would most definitely be Rumple, but sadly I do not :(

Emma's date had her all wound up for the next few days. August hadn't called until two days after the date, and then he arranged for a quick coffee date instead of anything more substantial. He had said that he was busy the next few days, but he didn't want to leave her hanging so he was redeeming his IOU for a coffee date. She thought that it wasn't fair that one minute he had made her feel wonderful, and amazing things, and then the next he was blowing her off like some jock on the football team.

Well if he thought that he could push her around like that, he was very sorely mistaken. This time their date was set for 5:00, right after she got off her shift at 4:30 (not that the only sheriff of a small time was ever technically off duty, but still) and she had made sure to grab her clothes and take them with her. She smiled privately to herself at the thought of her outfit. He wasn't going to get away with making her desire him and then not do anything to bring that desire to fruition.

After the fiasco in Boston with the married scammer, she had paid close to $50 to have her red dress dry-cleaned. It was going to be well worth it when she saw August's face tonight, though. She knew that the dress fit her perfectly, and left just enough to a man's imagination that he wouldn't be able to keep his hands off of her.

"EMMA! Are you even listening to me?" Henry chastised her from his spot on the bench next to her.

"Yeah, kid. I've just got a lot on my mind right now." She looked down into her son's eyes and very quickly realized that she needed to pay attention to him here and now. It was Regina's ignorance of him that had lead him to find Emma, and she wasn't about to ruin that precious bond that they had now that she knew him.

"Oh, your date with August?" Henry smiled a little at that, but quickly frowned again, peering down at the book in his lap. "I still haven't figured out who he is, though. I don't know if it's a good idea for you to spend lots of time with him when neither of us knows who he is."

"Ok, kid. I promise you, that if I get any clues to who he is you'll be the first to know." She smiled indulgently at him and ruffled his hair.

"Pinky promise?" He asked suspiciously while holding out his right hand pinky finger.

"Pinky promise." She shook his finger with her own and then threw her arm over his shoulder affectionately. He was probably the only person she had loved in 10 years. The thought shocked her, and she knew it would shock Mary Margaret. She was so insistent that love made the world go round. But the thing was that love wasn't all sugar cookies and rainbows. It came with it's ups and downs, and sometimes those downs never came back up. Ridding herself of those thoughts she paid attention to the only man who meant the most to her: Henry.

"How about we get some hot chocolate at Granny's? Your nose is looking red." She tweaked his nose as she stood up and looked down at him.

"Sounds great, Emma." Her world smiled back at her.

After a long day of talking to all the characters Storybrooke had to offer her, Emma was thoroughly pleased to punch out at 4:25. Five extra minutes, she could do a lot with her makeup in five minutes. She reached into her desk to pull out her keys and noticed an envelope in her drawer. It was addressed to her, and she was sure that it hadn't been there when she'd been in the office 40 minutes ago. It was a plain white standard envelope with her name written on it, every letter a different and obnoxious color. The handwriting was bold and curly and Emma groaned knowing exactly who it was from.

**My dearest Emma, **

**I know our last meeting hadn't gone too well, and that you had agreed to three date nights and two coffee breaks, but I also know that you agreed to the same thing with **_**him. **_**I would like to arrange for our first date night to be tomorrow at 9:30. Please wear something nice, and lovely, and be at my house promptly. We wouldn't want you to be late for a very important date, would we? **

**Your most devoted Jefferson. **

She put her head in her hands after tossing the letter on the desk. She had no particular desire to see Jefferson. Especially not after her date with August on Tuesday. She wondered just how far she could get with August tonight. He had definitely left her wanting more last night. She had planned out just exactly she would do to him if she ever got him alone for an extended amount of time again.

Grinning she pulled her head out of her hands again. Dammit! She'd lost her extra five minutes to Jefferson's letter. Well, it was time to get ready to blow August's mind. She trotted out to her car to grab the dry-cleaner's bag, and practically raced back inside. Sloughing her clothes she made sure to wipe her pits out with a wet wash cloth (it would definitely ruin her plans to seduce him if she smelled like BO, thank God she had shaved last night) and then glanced at herself in the bathroom mirror.

Her belly was flatter than most women's (even if it wasn't as flat as she dreamed) and it was cute. Her generous C cups were most definitely perky in her water bra that she had bought yesterday. Why she'd bought it at the time she couldn't figure out, because she'd paid an arm and a leg for it, but now she was glad she had it.

Looking away from her reflection, she shimmied into her dress and looked once more. Perfect. It hugged every curve without being obscene. She smiled gloriously into the mirror. August wouldn't be able to blow her off tonight. She would get exactly what she wanted, and maybe even more.

It only took her 10 minutes to do her makeup, consisting of a perfunctory swipe of mascara, light eyeliner, a hint of tan eye shadow, and red lip gloss. She smiled at herself in the mirror yet again, delighted in how she looked. When she returned to Mary Margaret's tonight she fully expected to have smudged make up and wrinkled clothes.

Her smirk stayed on her face out of the bathroom and the station, all the way down to Granny's. When she walked in, she was 5 minutes early and had the wonderful sensation of every male head turning her way. She knew that she was a man killer in this outfit, and she intended to slay herself a dragon.

August was the last to turn at the tinkle of the bell, but she definitely saw a twinkle of surprise, admiration, and possibly lust in his eyes. She smiled even wider knowing her goals were close to being achieved already.

The tap of her heels was the only sound for three loud clicks, but then the men all turned back to what they were doing. Some of them received dirty looks from the women they were with, and that made Emma feel a little twinge of guilt. No doubt there would be at least one of them sleeping on the couch tonight.

"Hey, August. Do you always come 10 minutes early to every date?" She smiled as she slid onto the stool next to him. "Or is it only with me?" Reaching over she made sure that the top of her dress offered an even more generous view of her cleavage. She noticed that he took advantage of that view and licked his lips. Oh yes, she'd have what she wanted in no time.

"Um, actually I'm going to be late if we don't finish up here quickly. But like I said, I wanted to make some time for you too." He seemed to be his normal self, offering her his lopsided grin and swiveling to face her fully.

She couldn't help her little feeling of disappointment for one second. But then she nodded her head and took her coffee. As she raised the mug to her lips she noticed that his eyes followed the mug, looking slightly envious as it touched her lips. When she set her mug down she saw him swallow hard and clear his throat.

"So, you seem to be a little overdressed. " He eyed her head to toe in a rakish manner and then grinned again.

"Only the finest for the man who orchestrated the best date I've ever been on." She murmured leaning forward. His eyes darted down again, and when he looked back up she was grinning into his eyes.

"Well, how about I walk you back to Mary Margaret's and then I can take off. I want to chat with you on the way, though." He looked at her quite coltishly, looking as if he would trip over his tongue if it lolled anymore out of his mouth.

"Oh, but I haven't even finished my coffee yet." She pouted raising her mug to her lips again. He followed the mug halfway and then tore his eyes off of her. He grabbed his and gulped the still steaming mug down, probably scalding his poor throat in the process. She grinned into her mug again, but took her time finishing her coffee.

He was looking quite desperate by the time she set her mug down on the table and indicated that she was done. He grabbed his coat off the hook by the door and practically ran out of the dinner. She grinned at her plan, she couldn't believe that her plan was working so obviously. He was waiting for her outside the door as she walked out and shut the gently tinkling door. She took her time languidly walking down the three steps to the sidewalk.

He grabbed her arm and practically sprinted down the street with her on his arm. She was slightly disappointed because despite the fact that he had said she wanted to talk, he didn't say a word until they were at Mary Margaret's front door.

"I really enjoyed our date the other night. Any idea when the next one will be?" She hinted at demurely, refusing to remove her arm from his yet. He had to at least give her an answer before he left this time.

"I'm busy until Sunday. But I'll have something planned. I'll call you tonight and let you know when and where to be." He smiled up at her, and despite all his jittery actions he seemed to be acting himself now. Maybe it had just been too hot in the dinner. She smirked again.

"Ok, well I'll be busy tomorrow, so I can't do anything tomorrow." She knew it was a low blow to bring up her date with Jefferson, but she didn't want him to feel like she was clinging to him waiting for an answer. Some guys liked that, but she definitely didn't . He only raised his eyebrows at her. Her smile fell a little bit. She didn't want to push him away either, that kiss had been amazing.

Speaking of kissing, he was leaning in again. Her breath caught in her throat and she waited for him to bring his lips all the way.

"I don't think it was the date you liked so much," he whispered, his lips moving against hers, just barely, but tangible enough to feel. She couldn't play this game very well, and she closed the last centimeter, locking his lips with hers. She surprised both of them when her arms wound tightly around his neck, trying to keep him there or strangle him for invoking these feelings, she wasn't sure.

The kiss was just like the first one, but this time she had pressed every inch of the front of her body against the front of his. It made the kiss even more passionate, more desperate. Definitely better, to have something tangible. He chuckled as he pulled as far away from her as her arms would let him.

"My, my, Miss Emma. I didn't think that you were going to do that. You definitely surprised me there." She wanted to tell him that she had surprised herself too, but as of that moment she couldn't find her vocabulary. "I'll call you tonight." With that he unwound her arms from his neck and turned down the street.

How did he always manage to leave her hanging?

_A/N:__ I apologize for the little notes that make no sense in the first chapter. I sent my first copy of the chapter to my beta (and best friend) and instead of making the changes, she put little notes in. Well I already had to delete the story, edit the document and then recreate it, so I'm not about to do it again. On a note about the updating: I am currently going to school at The Vet Tech Institute, so I do apologize in advance if my updating strays a little from its current daily, but I am getting ready for a stressful term. I am trying to pump out as many chapters of this story as possible, having one chapter finished a day, and setting the next on board for completion and editing. So happy reading, and I hope you all enjoy your smut _


	3. Chapter 3

Author: My-Sexy-Meagan

Characters: Emma, August, Jefferson

Rating: M

Disclaimer: I own nothing but my fantasies. If I did own anything Once related it would most definitely be Rumple, but sadly I do not :(

Chapter 3

As August hurried down the street from Mary Margaret's he deeply regretted having to leave right then. He had been able to see right through Emma's seductive plot. It had nearly worked, too. He had almost broken with his plans so he could rip that dress off of her and give her what she was obviously asking for.

Enough of those thoughts right now. He had a very important task to do to buy himself just a little more time with her. He headed further down the main street and ducked into the dark alleyway between the last two shops before the more residential area.

He knew he was acting shady, but he needed stealth here. The curse hadn't been lifted, and he couldn't hurry it. These things had to be done delicately, and with a certain amount of-finesse.

He climbed the backstairs of Mr. Gold's pawnshop and opened the door quietly. He entered without making a noise and stopped to allow his eyes to adjust to the dim lighting. The back of the shop resembled what August thought many of the rooms at the Dark Castle were rumored to be. Cluttered and piled high with a strange assortment of objects.

His eyes finally adjusted and he moved to the doorway separating the back from the storefront. Glancing at his phone he noted that it was 6:03. Perfect: Gold didn't do any magic business until after 6. He knew because he'd seen Regina come in many times before. Always after six though. He reached the doorway, but before he could clear his throat to announce his presence, Gold had beckoned him to come forward, not bothering to turn from the counter he was standing at.

"Ah, Mr. Booth. I figured you would come to see me eventually. I'm glad it was sooner rather than later, considering your condition." Gold turned then to face him. "I can see that I've surprised you, but that is not the concern here, hmm?" He then thumped his way across the room to a different counter and leaned his cane against the glass case.

"Now, I'm assuming that you've come to strike a deal, and that you're willing to deal with the consequences. Am I right?" August walked to the other side of the case and nodded his head. He was a little disconcerted, but he really oughtn't have been.

"I've come to ask that you slow it down. You know what I mean, and you know that I need more time to guide Emma to the answer." He swallowed hard. He knew he'd have to leave her eventually, but he had to show her first.

"Yes, yes. I know. But to complete that bargain and give you your precious time, you must bring me the things I need to help you. And a personal favor, of course." He looked up from his counting on the counter. August looked him squarely in the eye and made his decision, even though he knew he'd never had a choice in the first place. He would do anything for more time with her.

"You know my answer. Yes."

"Good, good. Now listen closely. I need you to bring me two hairs from Emma, and one from Mary Margaret. I suggest you get them as soon as possible, dearie. Your time is precious." Gold grinned and motioned him to the back room, clearly indicating that they were done here.

Emma was sprawled across her bed, staring at the ceiling. The only thing she'd done since August had left had been to walk inside, kick off her heels, and flop on her bed. She'd lain there for 45 minutes pondering exactly what she wanted from August. Sex, obviously. But what else? Was there anything else? She hadn't slept with a guy in three years, and that was a long time.

She was still blushing slightly over her thoughts when her cell jangled, assaulting her hearing. She leaned over and yanked it out of her jacket pocket on the ground.

"Yeah. Sheriff Swan. What can I do for you." She answered without looking at the number first.

"You could let me in to apologize for being a jackass earlier." August's husky voice answered. He promptly hung up then, guessing she'd either let him in or wouldn't. Emma practically killed herself racing to the door. When she yanked it open he was standing there waiting for her.

"What are you doing back here?" she asked breathlessly. How could he get to her so much? "I thought you were busy?" she questioned catching her breath slightly.

"My plans got cancelled. I came to apologize for being an ass earlier. You had me a little-" he grinned at her again, "distraced earlier. Are you going to invite me in? It is a little chilly out here."

"Oh. Yeah, of course. C'mon in. I can make some coffee and there's some blackberry cobbler left over." She shut the door behind him and followed him to the kitchen. "You know what? How about some apple cider instead?" August nodded and sat down at the bar. He watched her every move, making her feel nervous. She grabbed the apple cider out of the fridge and poured a generous amount into a small pot. She put the stove on low heat and then reached into the spice cabinet.

"My secret ingredient." She sprinkled a small amount of the pumpkin pie spice over the pot, mixing it in as it slowly heated. She grabbed two cinnamon sticks to put in the mugs she set on the counter. While she did all of this August didn't make one peep, setting Emma on edge even moe.

"You're awfully quiet for a writer." She said making an attempt at small talk. She grinned up at him from over the cobbler she was serving.

"I like to observe more than chatter. Especially when pretty women are involved." He grinned at her, a grin that was becoming endearing to her.

She scoffed at him as she place the piece of cobbler on a plate. He stopped her instantly by placing his hand on her arm.

"You may not see it, but I do. I'm very good at observing and then describing what I see. It comes naturally. Please believe me when I say that you are one of the most gorgeous and stunning women I have ever seen." He stood up and moved around the counter to stand next to her. "And it's not just skin deep either. Your personality is vibrant, but I sense it's not as vibrant as it could be. It's dazzling now, but it could be blinding." He moved a curl from her face, pushing it behind her ear with the infinite gentleness of a spring breeze.

She hadn't even realized that she'd stopped breathing until he left her side to sit down at the bar again. Well so much for catching her breath. She dropped the knife and moved back to the stove stirring the heating cider. Her cheeks were pinker than standing near the stove allowed for, and she purposefully didn't turn around for a long minute. When she did she cleared her throat nervously and looked at him. For the first time in a long time, her heart beat a little faster when she looked at a man.

"I'll be honest; I haven't done this in a long time. I can't say if I want a relationship or exactly what I want. All that I'm sure of is that I want more time with you. As much as I can get." She looked down at the counter. She knew what he had said a lot of pretty things, but that didn't mean that he had meant them.

She turned around to take the cider off the stove and poured the golden brown liquid into the mugs. She handed one to August and he grabbed her hand before she could pull it all the way back.

"I know that you've been hurt before. I can see it in your eyes. But I can tell you that I have no intentions to hurt you." He released her hand and began to eat his cobbler.

There was a comfortable silence between the two as they ate their blackberry cobbler and drank their cider. When Emma put the dishes in the sink, August came around behind her and wrapped his arms around her waist, pressing his face into her left shoulder. His lips found the curve of her neck where it met her shoulders and rested there.

"This ok?" He asked her, his lips whispering across her skin. He pressed a feather light kiss, just firm enough to feel, to her suddenly sensitive skin.

Unable to find her voice anymore she just nodded slowly, feeling his lips brush against her skin with movement. She leaned her hips against the sink, seeking the support her knees had quickly lost. His hips followed, pressing her more firmly against the counter.

His lips continued to move against her skin and Emma almost groaned against the sensations that seemed to be playing tag with her nerve endings. Suddenly his tongue darted out and her breath caught almost painfully in her trachea. Giving a little gasp-cough Emma's head fell forward.

One of August's hands left her waist and she almost protested the movement until she felt the strap of her dress slide down her arm. His mouth continued tracing a path down her arm with his tongue darting out to drop white hot sensations throughout her body.

"August. No! Don't stop. I just think that we both know where this is going and we should probably take it upstairs." She moaned when he began a trip back up her arm, taking the strap with him.

"Of course. Probably a good idea anyways." He chuckled against her ear and moved back. Emma regretted saying anything, but she knew the reward would be well worth the temporary loss of his kisses. Shaking her hair back, she stepped away from the counter, leaving the dishes for later. She led the way to stairs and started up them. He grabbed her hand suddenly and turned her around so fast it almost made her dizzy. The kiss he pressed to her lips did make her dizzy, and it took her five extra minutes to climb the stairs plus she was thoroughly out of breath by the time they reached the second floor.

Trying to breathe was more difficult as August molded his body to hers again. She was through her door when his fingers began trailing up and down her arms, almost making her fall over. He chuckled against her neck and supported her. She regained her feet quickly and turned around. Looking into his eyes she saw that, despite his bravado and daring methods, he was quite unsure.

She didn't like seeing him unsure of himself so she pressed her body against him, crushing her lips to his. She kept her eyes open and could see the surprise, wonder, and, most importantly, relief flash through his eyes. When she saw his relief, her eyes slid closed and she focused on the parts of their bodies that touched. At these junctions sparks flew and their skin heated each other.

August's hands moved up to push her strap down her arm again and he broke the kiss so his mouth could continue trailing its way down her arm. She shivered and her knees weakened again. He pulled back and she just couldn't stand anymore so she sat down, rather forcefully, on her bed and looked up at him.

He sat down beside her and kicked off his boots while unbuttoning his shirt. Her hand lifted of its own accord to trail across his exposed collar bone. He held his breath as she parted his shirt and reached around his shoulders to pull it off. This had to be her choice, so no better way than to let her do it herself. Her fingers trailed back lightly over his shoulder, causing goosebumps to run over his skin for once. She grinned at her personal triumph and looked up at him again.

"It has been a while. I don't know what you like or anything. I'm open to almost anything, just tell me what you want." She didn't meet his eyes as she spoke, and the words made her slightly pink skin redden a little more. Why was she acting like a nervous virgin? She'd done this before. True, it had been a long time since she'd been with a man, but she definitely knew her way around the anatomy. August lifted her chin to make her raise her gaze to his eye level.

"I want to make sure that you're taken care of. If anything else happens tonight, it has to be your choice, but I want to make sure that you have a good time getting back in the saddle. I'm not going to lie, I think I have fallen in love with you Emma, and that scares me just a little. I want you to be able to love me back, but we have to take it slow. I know that much about you." He whispered the words, but to Emma they sounded like an atomic bomb going off in the distance. The "L" word? They'd only been on two dates…. Could she deal with that, and find a way to love him?

But almost as quickly as the thoughts had shaken her, they were settling into her mind, like stones falling into place in a lake. They belonged there, and they felt right. Her 'superpower' told her that he wasn't lying. That was probably the biggest turn on that he could have offered her, just short of taking all her clothes off and having her up against the wall.

She looked up at him again, this time meeting his eyes and smiled. She couldn't help but feel something for this man right now. He just had a way with words, and with his mouth.

"I don't know about love right know August. But I definitely know that I want this to continue. And I want you to be happy too." She meant every word she said. "Now. Where was I?"

Her hand still rested on her shoulder, and now it moved down her bicep playing with the skin that rippled under her touch. He was looking at her intensely, and she wondered if she'd hit a nerve like he had with her. Her fingers trailed back up his arm and down across his left pec to his right. She noticed that his nipples hardened under her administration, yet she hadn't even directly touched them. Grinning once more she bent her head and her tongue flew across the sensitive patch on his pec. He grunted a little and wrapped his arm around her waist pulling her closer.

She continued to administer kisses across his chest, and then moved down to his abs. Here she could see the muscles ripple even more under his lightly tanned skin. They moved under her mouth, and her tongue chased them freely. He had begun to hold his breath, but when she reached his waist and her tongue flicked across his hipbone, all the breath exploded out of his chest in a quite impressive groan.

As soon as she had begun to administer a thorough inspection of this new found sensitive spot on his chest he abruptly pulled back from her, breathing hard. She was suddenly nervous again. Had she done something that he didn't like? What if he left now? She didn't want him to leave. He grinned at her again through his panting.

"No. I told you tonight is about you. I let myself get a little carried away, but now it's my turn." He pulled her into a more upright position and fingered the hem of her dress where it fell mid-thigh. "This is still ok, right?"

When she nodded he slowly inched the hem up. Not more than an inch, but that inch felt like a mile when he began to trace lazy circles into the sensitive skin on her inner thigh. Her head fell against his shoulder as she lost the ability to think once more. After he deemed her skin thoroughly sensitized, he pulled the hem up until it rode even with the bottom of her hip. Then he started the process over again. Emma was lost in the patterns of his fingers, wishing that he'd take a little liberty and play with the wetness that had begun to spread to her panties.

He stopped abruptly and pushed her into a sitting position once again. She looked up at him through pitiful eyes, begging him with the only thing that she could work anymore. He grinned a devilish grin and hauled her into a standing position. When she could stand on her own two feet, he took the hem of her dress and languidly moved it up until it sat just underneath her breasts. She was losing strength in her legs again, so she knew that he would have to just take the damn thing off soon enough. Without waiting to see what he would do she yanked the dress the rest of the way off and let it fall to the ground.

His eyes devoured her at first, and he didn't touch her until his eyes had seen everything her body had to offer. He moved closer to her and put one hand on her waist, one behind her head. Then he kissed her, and she melted once more. The kiss was definitely nothing like the first one he'd ever given her. This one was sweet, almost painfully so, and so slow that she yearned for him to pick up his pace. Her breath deserted her quickly and soon she was clutching herself to his chest, holding her almost naked body against his. The places where skin touched skin were hot, almost too hot but not quite to the point where it would burn.

His hands moved up her waist to caress her side, and then to cup the bottom of her breast. When he groaned into her mouth she went slightly insane with need. She ground against him, hoping he'd get the hint. Luckily enough, he did. He broke this kiss and picked her up around the waist to lay her down on the bed. Emma lay there with her hair spread around her as August divested himself from his pants. His boxers were most definitely tented and that reinforced Emma's need to make sure he enjoyed himself too.

He quickly laid down beside her and began his sensuous games again. No one's hands had ever felt this good just touching her skin, Emma thought. This time he wasn't as languid, and quickly moved to cup her breast in his hand. She arched her back into him, feeling her nipple harden in her bra. He rolled her slightly so he could unhook the bra behind her back. She was impressed by the fact that it only took him one simple squeeze of his hand and it was unhooked.

She quickly threw the bra away from her, hearing it fall to the ground on the other side of the room. His greedy eyes took in her bared flesh, and he moved his mouth down her neck across the sensitive skin on her chest. She arched further and further into his kiss until it felt like her back was going to rip in half. Then his kisses moved down to her belly, and she could relax her muscles for a few minutes.

His tongue lashed across her hip suddenly, making her groan and twist. With one firm hand he held her in place while his tongue continued its quest to make her crazy. She could only give little gasps as the sensations played with her nerve endings again, making her flow even more.

He eventually ceased with her hip, after what felt like a lifetime, and Emma didn't even get the chance to take three deep breaths before his tongue was tracing her panty line. Emma moaned again and her hips bucked up towards his mouth of their own accord. He inched her panties down her hips a tiny centimeter at a time, making sure to kiss his way from one side of the skin he exposed to the other. When he reached the beginning of her slit, he gently licked it up and down, making Emma mewl piteously. His fingers parted her lips and his tongue continued its wicked path downwards. When he flicked it across her clit, Emma bucked so hard she shoved her hips right into his face.

She didn't even have time to be embarrassed because when she did this August chose that time to stick his tongue inside of her. Oh how Emma moaned at that. She couldn't think of anything except that tongue finishing her off, and making her squirm until she was given a release. He quickly worked his tongue in and out, in a pattern and manner that left Emma bucking into his mouth. When he pulled his mouth back, Emma moaned frustratedly. He turned that frustration back into desperation as he entered her with two fingers. His thumb was working simultaneously on her clit, and it wasn't long before Emma was clutching the sheets behind her head and moaning steadily, waiting for her release.

At the last minute she managed to smack his hand away. It was August's turn to look confused, but she quickly sat up and tugged on his boxers. He grinned at her again and moved to obey her wordless command. When he leaned above her fully naked, she couldn't help but be satisfied. He was everything she wanted and his size was just right.

He leaned down over her and pressed kisses across her eyelids, cheeks, lips and neck murmuring sweet things to her.

"August. I didn't stop you so you could tease me more. Please just fuck me now." She moaned into his ear as his teeth grazed her collar bone for the fifth time.

"My pleasure, sweetling." He quickly knelt between her legs once more. He handled his length quite easily and moved to sit right at the edge of her lips, pressing slightly so that she knew it wouldn't take much more pressure for him to fill her completely. He made sure her eyes were open and watching him as he pushed gently inside and settled there for a moment. She leaned up to kiss his lips, wrapping her arm around his shoulder. This was what she had missed every day for three years. The desperate connection of two people who were attracted to each other.

He pushed her shoulders gently and she fell back to the mattress once more. He began a slow and steady pace, that she matched easily. The movement of their two bodies only made her tighten even more around him. He suddenly rolled over onto his back, bringing her with him and managing to not pull out or hurt either party in the process.

She smiled down at him as her hair floated down around her shoulders, hanging across her face again. He moved a piece out of her eyes and smiled back at her. So he wanted her to ride him? Well she would show him what she knew. She started out at the same pace that he had earlier, and then quickly increased the tempo. It wasn't long before her bottom lip was trembling with the force of her quickly approaching orgasm. August grabbed her hips and began to move them even faster than she could on her own.

She spasmed around him quickly and very hard, not making a single noise, but throwing her mouth open in a silent scream. She rested her forehead on his chest as he continued to move her hips at the same pace. Already she could tell that he was close, oh so close to coming too. But he grit his teeth and thrust her up and down faster than ever.

The second orgasm was even stronger than the first, and she managed a breathy and sustained moan when her walls finally clenched him tightly again. He came almost as soon as her walls contracted the first time. He grunted as he continued to move her until he was completely spent. When the movement stopped, Emma laid her body down along his chest, refusing to move away from him first. This was the closest she'd come to loving a man in years, and she wasn't about to let it slip right through her fingers as quickly as time was wont to do.

He pushed damn strands of hair back from her forehead as she sighed against his chest in contentment.

"Emma, sweetling, I need you to move now." He kissed her forehead before she raised her head to look at him questioningly. "I need to use the restroom."

"Oh. Alright. Down the hall on your right." She finally removed her body from his, and he got up to grab his boxers and jeans off the floor. Sliding into them he was out the door and she heard the bathroom door shut behind him.

She laid on her bead languidly letting the aftermath of her pleasure play with her senses for a few moments. Eventually she sighed and got off the bed, walking across to her dresser and snagging a T-shirt and a ragged pair of sweat pants. She retrieved her underwear and bra from the floor and quickly dressed herself again. How many times today was she going to change her clothes?

August came back a few moments after she had dressed to find her checking the damage to her hair in the mirror. He walked behind her and began massaging her shoulders while she threw her pony tail up in a bun to hide the obvious sex hair she had. Her head fell forward, and she sighed again.

"Emma, sweetling, I have to go again." He looked at her reflection which had turned doleful eyes on him, but he couldn't change the fact that he still needed to leave. "I promise I will be back at 9, ok? I'll bring some take-out Chinese back. Do you know what Mary Margaret eats? I'll bring her some too."

"I eat sweet and sour chicken with white rice and Mary Margaret likes General Tso's chicken with pork fried rice." She smiled at him again, not believing her fortunate decision to let him into her life.

"Will you walk me to the door, sweetling?" He questioned, finally stopping his hands.

"Of course." Emma got up and walked with him down the stairs, grinning and laughing at some joke he'd just made. She came downstairs just in time to see Mary Margaret walk in the front door. Having the decency to blush at her inquisitive gaze Emma waved August through the door.

"So I see you've found some company outside of work?" Mary Margaret arched one delicate eyebrow at Emma.

"Yes, and he's bringing Chinese take-out for dinner. He'll be back at 9." Emma smiled to herself again, ignoring the surprised look that her roommate gave her. He'd be back to keep her company and she wasn't opposed to that.

_A/N:__ I just want to say that I'm pretty proud of how much. I'm writing as much as I can after probably 5 years out of the loop. Also, this is the first smut chapter I've ever written. I hope you enjoy it. Also: reviews are welcome. I don't know if anyone felt the need to review or not, just don't be mean about it. _


	4. Chapter 4

Author: My-Sexy-Meagan

Characters: Emma, August, Jefferson

Rating: M

Disclaimer: I own nothing but my fantasies. If I did own anything Once related it would most definitely be Rumple, but sadly I do not :(

Chapter 4

August ran down the back streets of Storybrooke; the ones no one ever looked down. He knew that time was of the essence and he knew that he had to be quick with this errand. He still had to get to the Chinese place to order the take-out and be back by 9.

He pondered why Gold wanted a hair from Mary Margaret. As far as August knew, Gold and MM had stayed out of each other's ways since the curse had thrown them into this world. So why was Gold all of a sudden interested in MM's hair? It wasn't for him to know, Rumplestiltskin always had a way to get what he wanted and orchestrate events to his liking. Whether or not they favored anyone else.

Dashing up the back stairs of Gold's shop in a record time, August didn't bother with secrecy this time. The door slammed behind him and he winced internally. He flew through the back room and into the store front, knowing that Gold was there because the lights were still on.

"Well. I'll say I'm impressed with your speed, dearie. It only managed to take you about an hour to get what I needed. Maybe I'll call upon you when I need a messenger or something of the sort. Now you got the hairs I presume?" Gold smiled at August from his stool where he sat cataloging his inventory.

"Of course," August panted. He retrieved the ziplock bags from his pants and held them out to Gold. One contained a single short black hair while the other contained two long blonde hairs. Grinning even wider Gold took them from August. He pulled a brown leather covered box out from a small space under the counter. Retrieving a key from the loop sitting next to his notepad, Gold quickly unlocked it and tucked the bag containing MM's hair into it. He left the lid open and turned on his stool, reaching for a small glass vile on the shelf behind him. He turned again and retrieved a larger bottle from inside the case. It was full of a murky liquid that moved even after Gold had settled it on the counter.

Gold carefully measured out ¾ of the smaller vial's volume from the larger bottle, and then placed the bottle back in the case. He added one of Emma's hairs to the vial and then placed the bag with the other hair into the case, locking it when he'd finished the whole procedure. Gold then corked the vial and handed the now blue liquid to August.

"Take one drop of this every morning. Sprinkle it in your food or into your tea. Anyway you'd be able to down it. This will help slow it down. You have about two weeks to finish working with Emma before the potion will run out. After that the curse will spread even more rapidly. I can delay it for so long, but when the potion runs out the curse will run its course at twice the speed it would have before I gave you the potion." Gold looked intently into August's eyes, all serious concern now. "Are you sure you're willing to deal with that? If Emma doesn't break the curse before your curse is completed, you will die. There is no bringing the dead back, dearie."

August swallowed hard against the thought of death and the fear it brought. He would do anything to help Emma, even if it killed him in the process. Staring at the tiny vial in his hand he nodded slowly. He would go to the ends of the earth to help Emma.

At 9:20 Emma decided to text August. She and Mary Margaret were starving, and she felt like she was going to pass out at any second. She just wanted to eat, shower, and sleep; in that order.

**Hey, where are you? Mary Margaret and I are starving here. **

She didn't have to wait long for an answer.

**Sorry. The Chinese place is really busy right now. Who knew that everyone ordered take-out from here on a Friday night? Be there in 10.**

Rolling her eyes she smiled. Everyone knew the only Chinese place did the most business on Friday nights. Between the moms and dads who worked every day and just wanted one day to relax, Chinese was probably the wrong thing to order tonight.

"You have it bad." Mary Margaret surprised her by speaking up. They'd only exchange pleasantries and little comments since August had left.

"What?" Emma stuttered.

"You are totally head over heels with that boy." She turned now, facing Emma. Smiling she started to talk again.

"I am NOT in love, Mary Margaret. I haven't been in love since I had Henry. That was a mistake, and I vowed that it wouldn't happen again. We just have a- thing." Emma faltered at the way to describe their relationship. Mary Margaret's smile faded a little bit and she stared at Emma in shock.

"Emma-"

"No, May Margaret. Please don't try to give me your 'love makes the world go round' speech again. I have very strong opinions on the subject, and I highly doubt that you'll change my mind about it." Emma looked Mary Margaret in the eyes. She could see that the other woman didn't believe her, but she wasn't going to say anything to contradict Emma.

"Well at least tell me you were safe?" She laughed at Emma's mortified look. "Oh honey. Anybody can see that you have sex hair. A bun hardly hides it."

But Emma's look hadn't been because of the fact that Mary Margaret had guessed that she'd had sex with August. It was because she knew that they _hadn't_ been safe. She had been on the pill, but after a year and a half of no intercourse, Emma had just dropped it. She regulated herself just fine, and it was a hassle to take the pill everyday. Plus August hadn't used a condom.

Oh, god. What if she got pregnant again? What would August do? They'd only just started working things out together. She knew he loved her, but would he stick around if she got pregnant? Her heart fluttered all of a sudden and her hand moved to her stomach. She couldn't handle it if August deserted her like Henry's father had. She didn't think he'd leave her, but she didn't have many other examples to go on.

"Oh, Emma. No." Mary Margaret's eyes had taken in the movement of Emma's hand to her stomach. "No. You didn't. Did you?" Emma could only nod and she felt her eyes tear up a little bit. She knew it only took one time to get pregnant.

"We could go to the drug store. They have the Plan B packs there." Mary Margaret stood up, moving towards the coat stand by the door.

"No. I won't take those. If it happens, it happens. It's not the worst thing that could happen. I have a steady job, and I'm sure I can find a house here, or at least a small apartment or something. Henry might be excited to get a sibling." Despite the fact that she was panicking, Emma knew that this was the right thing to do. Those Plan B packs made the girl so ill that she couldn't see straight for at least a day. Plus the whole town would talk. She knew how small towns worked. She bought one anti-pregnancy kit and everyone would be turning away from her for the next 20 years until she moved away. No, she wouldn't kill a life that she'd been stupid enough to create. If she even got pregnant. There was a good chance she could wind up totally fine.

Counting the days on her fingers she figured that she'd have two weeks before she knew for certain if she was pregnant.

_A/N:_ _Sorry guys, I know this chapter is short, but I had a long day, and this was the result. Hope you guys enjoy. Also, don't despair too much. Jefferson will be introduced in the next chapter. Thanks for the review, you guys made my day. :)_


	5. Chapter 5

Author: My-Sexy-Meagan

Characters: Emma, August, Jefferson

Rating: M

Disclaimer: I own nothing but my fantasies. If I did own anything Once related it would most definitely be Rumple, but sadly I do not :(

Chapter 5

The next morning Emma stretched sleepily. It was Saturday so she wasn't required to go in to the office for more than 2 hours. And that was just to check the status of everything in the town. She usually went in about 12 because most of the small spats that appeared early in the morning (noise disturbances, neighbors fighting) were resolved on their own.

Last night had gone well. August had come back with the Chinese, plus a gallon of chocolate ice cream for desert. She and Mary Margaret had thanked him profusely for the ice cream too, but he brushed them off saying it was only fair since he'd made them wait so long for dinner. He'd stayed until 10:30, when Emma had begun yawning so largely that a hippo would be proud. Chuckling at her weak protests, he'd kissed her hair and left.

Pulling the covers aside Emma got out of bed and stared at herself in the mirror, her hand straying to her stomach again. She paled a little bit at the directions her thoughts took, but then she quickly shook them off telling herself that everything would be alright.

Dressing quickly, Emma went downstairs for breakfast. Mary Margaret was gone already, tutoring students who needed the help. It was 11:30 (yikes!) and so Emma only helped herself to a quick bowl of cereal before heading out the door for the office.

Rushing out the door, she bowled Henry over, who had been raising his hand to knock, and tripped herself, landing smack on the sidewalk.

"Henry!" She was afraid at first that she'd hurt him when she bowled him over, but he just sat where he was looking at her funny.

"You normally aren't in such a rush on Saturdays." There was no accusation or reprimand in his tone, and Emma thanked him for that.

"Well I was up late last night, so I slept in. C'mon, kid. We can talk on the way to my office." Emma picked herself up and dusted herself off, holding out a hand to Henry. He ignored her offer, and pushed himself up.

"Ok, but I wanted to tell you some news about the curse…." Emma began to tune out what he was saying. When he began talking about his 'curse' stuff it was always best just to nod and agree. She'd learned the hard way when Henry had gotten stuck in the mine trying to prove that he was right. She'd nearly lost him then, and she wasn't about to push him over that edge again. Eventually he'd grow out of it and they would be completely happy without having to worry about Operation Cobra.

Driving down the street Emma realized that she hadn't been this happy in a long time. Getting to the office she let the still babbling Henry inside, and threw her keys on the desk. That's when she noticed the letter from Jefferson sitting on her desk. She groaned and slumped into her chair. She'd completely forgotten about the date with Jefferson tonight. Why at 9:30? Why couldn't he arrange for a decent hour like seven?

"What's the matter, Emma?" Henry quizzed her, overlooking the fact that she was ignoring him.

"Nothing, kid. I just forgot I have a date again tonight." She glanced over at her phone. Three voicemails. She'd deal with them in a few minutes.

"With August?"

"No. Jefferson." Henry raised his eyebrows at her in confusion.

"Weren't you dating August though? What happened to that." He was thoroughly confused and had no problems questioning her about it. It made her feel a little twinge of guilt for agreeing to go on a date with him when she so very obviously had some kind of feelings for August.

"It's complicated, kid. I agreed to give Jefferson three dates so that he would leave me alone."

"Well I don't think he's going to leave you alone. Especially if he wants to see you again after kidnapping you."

"Listen, kid. It's complicated, ok? I can handle myself. I promise." She sat up and looked at him, catching his eyes again.

"I'll be extra cautious, plus I'm taking mace with me this time. No repeat incidents." That reminded her. She dug the mace container out of the top drawer in her desk.

"How about helping me with some of the complaints today?" She reached for her phone as Henry nodded vigorously, babbling on about how he could help because he knew which fairytale character each person was.

And so her day began.

At 4 Mary Margaret came home to find Emma relaxing on the couch.

"Feel any better today? Still don't want to get a Plan B or anything?" Mary Margaret asked Emma as she took off her scarf and coat. At the look Emma gave her Mary Margaret just smiled and said "Thought so. Well how was work?"

"It was alright. Henry kept me company. There was a small spat between the old lady down the street and her son-in-law, but we had it handled in no time. Of course Henry didn't help any by insisting that the little old lady was the main character from the story 'The old lady and the shoe.' Although I can't blame him, that woman has more foster children crammed into that house than she does air. But at least she has the ability and heart to care for them." Emma smiled in remembrance of the woman who had made sure to comfort her 3 year old foster daughter who was so upset about the whole ordeal.

"Well that's nice. Any plans for tonight?" Mary Margaret moved into the kitchen. It was her turn to cook dinner and so she began to pull out the things for a hearty steak and baked potato meal. The sounds of her roommate moving around comforted Emma slightly, and she slouched down further on the couch. She told herself it wasn't her guilt over the date with Jefferson tonight that had her slouching low.

"Well I have another date tonight." She murmured, purposely leaving out Jefferson's name.

"Oh that's wonderful. Just remember to take it slow, Emma. Gosh, now I feel like my mother. I shouldn't be lecturing you on relationships, but I just don't want to see you get hurt is all." Emma appreciated Mary Margaret's enthusiasm when it came to protective instincts, but sometimes she just got plain annoying.

"I know. I will. It doesn't bother me. You're never too old to get relationship advice." Emma didn't pay much attention to anything else that Mary Margaret said, and the conversation died out quickly.

They ate at 6 and Emma just sat and relaxed with the other woman. It was nice to have someone to be around. She began to think about Henry's crazy theory that she was Mary Margaret's daughter (and that Mary Margaret happened to be Snow White) and privately thought to herself that she didn't even look old enough to have a daughter Emma's age. Although Henry would protest this and say that time had been frozen in Storybrooke until she'd come there.

In the middle of her thoughts Emma must have fallen asleep because the next thing she knew Mary Margaret was waking her up at 8.

"Guess work was more tiring than you thought?" Mary Margaret grinned at her. "I figured you'd want up to either let August know why you ditched him, or to get ready." She smiled at her and then headed upstairs. Her normal routine included reading before bed so Emma wasn't surprised that she was heading upstairs that early on a Saturday night.

"Mary Margaret?" Emma called to her when she got to the stairs. The other woman turned and looked at her with a question in her eyes.

"Yes, Emma?"

"Thank you. I really appreciate you being there for me." Emma blushed a little at her heartfelt moment, but Mary Margaret just smiled back at her and continued up the stairs.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~Emma stood outside the house debating on whether or not she wanted to just turn around and blow Jefferson off. She thought the latter might be a bit too risky with Jefferson's obvious willingness to go to any length to get what he wanted. Biting her lip she knocked on the door. There wasn't even a peep inside for a minute, and Emma debated on turning around and going home.

Something told her to wait a few more seconds and Jefferson quickly opened the door. He must have been standing there waiting for her to come over, because she hadn't even heard the scuff of a shoe on the floor.

"Emma! Oh it's so lovely to see you here on time." Jefferson stepped aside and bowed her through the door. Emma reluctantly moved into the house, unbuttoning her coat and removing it. The house was semi-lit and it resembled a permanent twilight zone.

"Well it certainly hasn't changed since I was here last." Emma remarked sarcastically. Of course it hadn't. It'd only been about two and a half weeks since he'd kidnapped her.

"Ah, I can see you're a little bitter. But, darling, I have an excellent date planned out." Jefferson moved uncomfortably close behind her and she had a sudden flash back to when he'd been this close and held a gun to her.

"Jefferson, before we do this, I have been seeing August."

"I know. You've had a couple dates and such, but that doesn't mean anything." Jefferson smiled to himself as if this solved everything.

"Actually Jefferson, it does. I don't know much about relationships anymore, but I know that it's wrong for me to be here right now. I'm sorry to ruin the mood or anything."

"Ah... Ok, well then how about we set a raincheck on this date and any further ones? If things don't work out with you and he, then we can try this again. Too bad, I had such a fun time planned." Emma felt bad for being so blunt with Jefferson, but it wasn't fair to either her, Jefferson, or August. It wasn't fair to her, or moral, to be doing this. She was honestly sorry that she couldn't appease Jefferson by sticking with her promise.

"Jefferon, I'm sorry. I really am. It would have been nice to get to know you. Not the desperate you who just wanted me to do something impossible, but the you that cares so much about your daughter. I know that there's part of you that's still sane, but the fact of the matter is that you scared me shitless the last time we met. I thought you were going to kill me and Mary Margaret. I'm not a big believer in second chances, but I know that you're not honestly crazy. I have a kid too, and I know the feeling of being unable to do anything."

Jefferson only nodded, although that glint in his eye that was reminiscent of madness had softened a little. He smiled and pulled her close for a hug.

"Until the next time, Emma Swan." He then suddenly cackled something straight from a horror film and whirled before letting her go. She was dizzy and so when he none-so graciously pushed her through the front door and set her coat in her arms all she could do was stare at the rapidly closing front door.

SLAM! Emma winced a little at the sound but quickly put her coat on and moved down the street. She knew things weren't over with her and Jefferson. They probably wouldn't ever be unless Emma got married one day. She knew that having a crush over someone could be very dentrimental if it was unrequited. She saw it every day in Henry's face. He thought he hid his little crush on Ava Zimmerman so well, but it was so obvious shewas surprised he hadn't been made fun of for it, or had her brother threaten him, yet.

But as she walked back to Mary Margaret's apartment, she also felt relieved. She wouldn't have to do anything that went against her morals because she'd felt guilty about it. She would tell August about it tomorrow, and then tell him that this ditching her stuff wasn't going to fly with her anymore. She smiled as she walked slowly. It was her turn to be happy after 28 years of unhappiness.


	6. Chapter 6

Author: My-Sexy-Meagan

Characters: Emma, August, Jefferson

Rating: M

Disclaimer: I own nothing but my fantasies. If I did own anything Once related it would most definitely be Rumple, but sadly I do not :(

Chapter 6

Emma sat at the desk in her office looking out the window at the pedestrians that walked past chattering about their plans for the day. If only she could be out of this prison cell. She wanted to spend some time with August, but unfortunately work had pulled her away from him for the first time in about a week and a half. The separation distracted her, and she often found herself tuning Henry out for a little daydream about August.

Things had been going good. Emma found herself so relaxed that the things that used to annoy her every waking moment barely scraped her nerves anymore. Regina even found it hard to get to Emma lately. Not for lack of trying though. Constant hidden threats and taunts about having Henry while she had to watch from the sidelines still irked Emma, but only just barely. She knew that Henry cared for her or else he wouldn't constantly sneak out to be with Emma. And that reassured Emma more than anything.

Her son loved her, she had a good thing going with August, and he seemed fully committed to being there for her. Every time she turned around he was offering to take her out on her break for coffee or to do something sweet for her. They had gone to the movies last Thursday, but Emma hadn't remembered one lick of what the movie was about because of what she was waiting for when they went home.

The sex was wonderful. Emma hadn't ever had such an experience before. She knew she was slowly falling in love, but that was a good thing. The last time she had lost her heart in an instant, and that instant had wound up completely screwed up for her. She'd gotten pregnant, and then she had panicked when the father had backed down. She knew that taking it slow and getting to know August before she decided to take things any farther was the smart way to go.

Her work flew by today, only two calls and those were minor squabbles easily patched up with a quick word to both parties. The day was looking wonderful. That night it was Emma's turn to get dinner. She planned on ordering a pizza from down the street, and then stopping by to grab a gallon of Neapolitan ice cream. There was nothing better than staying in and watching some silly comedy that August had picked while chowing down on pizza and ice cream.

At four o'clock Emma punched out early. She had called 10 minutes ago to order the pizza and was now on the way down the road to the Kwik-E-Mart for the ice cream. The wind was brisk in her hair and she was enjoying the feel of the autumn day. Mary Margaret was planning on stepping out tonight because she didn't want to intrude on their privacy.

Emma had tried to tell her that she wasn't intruding, but to no avail. She knew that Mary Margaret and David still weren't on the mend. Mary Margaret had been hurt deeply by the fact that David hadn't stood beside her. She knew that the two wouldn't be able to help but run into each other if Mary Margaret went out. David practically haunted every public building in Storybrooke so that he could see Mary Margaret.

The irony in the situation never failed to strike Emma's awareness. Now that David and Kathryn had split up, he and Mary Margaret could be together at last, but he had managed to push her so far away that she didn't want to see him anymore. It had seemed like things would finally work out for them, and then everything was ripped from their grasp.

Like a curse from fate. Emma shook her head smiling at the wording of that particular phrase. Henry would insist that it was a curse; a curse so powerful that it could transcend love. Her thoughts kept her company until she walked into the little convenience store. Mr. Gold was standing at the cash register having a very intimidating chat with the small girl behind the counter. Emma headed into the freezer section that was close enough to hear the conversation.

"Please, Mr. Gold. I really have tried so hard to make rent this month. But everyone else has their own rent to pay, and no one can afford to buy too many things from me. I have three-quarters of it, but not all of it. Please, please, please don't kick me out. I need this store."

"Hmmm, dearie. It seems like you've got yourself in quite a predicament now don't you? Unfortunately I don't let anyone pay rent late. It's either all or nothing." The girl gave Gold a horrified look while tears brimmed in her eyes. Emma was just about to step in and bargain with Gold on behalf of the girl when he held up his hand to stem the oncoming flow of tears.

"However, I do expect things to be going plenty well for me here within the next three days, so I will allow you this one exception. But hear me well, dearie. I will have my dues, in this world or the next." With that he turned and left, leaving Emma to ponder what he had said while she silently checked out with the crying girl.

Emma was still up late that night pondering what Gold had said to the girl. She knew that things were always run by Gold. Everyone knew that. Gold was the most powerful man in Storybrooke. He owned every building and half of the people. Everyone was terrified of him. He was the man with the least give, as if he hadn't learned to be flexible enough. Or he had been too flexible and now refused to give at all.

His comment, "I do expect things to be going plenty well for me here within the next three days, so I will allow you this one exception," had her worried. It had the ominous feel of a final death knoll. She couldn't help but feel a little apprehensive that the almost God-like man was expecting things to line up for him. And she also couldn't help the feeling that she would be playing an intricate part in it.

"Mmmm... Emma? You're still up?" August rolled over, sleep tousled and adorable, to look at the alarm clock. "It's close to 3 am. Are you alright?" He looked up intently to reinforce his concern.

"Nothing to wake you up, you sleepy boy." She grinned and tweaked his nose. When he slept she found that he looked so innocent that she couldn't help but refer to him as 'boy.'

"Come here, woman. I'll show you 'boy.'" He growled, dragging the squealing Emma onto his chest. She giggled against his chest and laid her cheek against the little patch of fuzz under his collar bone. She couldn't help it, she was already in love, and she knew it.

"I love you, Emma." She smiled against his chest. He hadn't said those infamous words again since the first time they'd made love, but she knew that they always lurked under the surface.

"I think I love you too, August." Her heart hammered in her chest when she said the words, but his chest jumped with his forced inhale. His heart stuttered a little under her ear, but it regained its normal pace quickly and he kissed the top of her head.

She knew that was enough for him. The phrase "I think I love you," meant more from her than some long drawn out sappy admission to love. He pressed kisses down her forehead and she tilted her head up so he could gain access to her face and mouth. Pressing a quick kiss to the tip of her nose, he then kissed her lips so thoroughly that her breath deserted her quicker than a marathon runner's.

"Don't make my nose jealous by doing that." Emma breathed heavily. She resumed kissing him, making him as thoroughly breathless as she was. They were both panting heavily, and Emma knew that August was most definitely aroused. She used this to her advantage.

Grabbing his pants (he slept only in his pants when they slept together) and tugging on them made his breath hitch a little bit more, and she grinned against his lips. Sliding her hands under his pants and underwear she grabbed him firmly. As his eyes slid closed she started moving her hand along his length. As her slow pace picked up the tiniest amount his eyes opened again and he licked his lips.

"Emma, you are the most amazing person I have ever met. I am so glad I came back to Storybrooke." His eyes closed again and she rewarded his comments by adjusting her pace a little more. He groaned and she smiled even wider. She stopped abruptly and undid his pants, sliding them down his legs, with his help, and started pressing kisses along the line of his boxers. His stomach rippled slightly and his hands clenched her comforter tightly. She kissed a trail up to his nipple, stopping to play with it a little bit before moving back to his lips.

They moved quickly after that, August stripping Emma almost instantly of her panties and bra. The undercurrent of this joining had rapidly changed from playful to desperate. August entered her very swiftly and looked her in the eyes before he began to thrust. She could almost taste the desperation on his skin as she leaned up to kiss his pecs and shoulders, nipping occasionally.

He stopped suddenly, pulled out and moved beside her. Suddenly she was on her stomach, while he pulled her arms and legs into a half kneeling position. He moved behind her and quickly resumed the hasty process. She buried her face into her pillows, thoroughly enjoying the new depth and speed that this position allowed him. She was so focused on the jarring pleasure of just feeling him move inside her that when his hand snaked around to rub her clit, she almost screamed. He chuckled darkly and only moved faster.

Now she was moving back into him, pressing her butt firmly to his hips so that he entered her even more forcefully, and the friction felt wonderful. She was quickly approaching the edge of an orgasm, her fingers twisting the comforter so tightly she thought it would rip. He gave a particularly strong thrust at the same time that his fingers rubbed her clit just right, and she bit the pillow between her teeth, silently screaming into it. In the middle of her plunge into the peaceful abyss of pleasure, she felt his shudder as he came, forcefully moving until he was completely spent. They both collapsed onto the bed, August keeping the majority of his weight off of her using his arms and knees.

"Well that was very pleasing." Emma felt August's chest move slightly with his tired chuckle.

"If that's what you want to call it, then yes." He sighed and rolled off her, throwing the used condom into the garbage next to the bed. He rolled her over, and she sighed, snuggling into his chest again. Her eyes were heavy now, and she couldn't believe she'd made it this far without falling asleep. He kissed her forehead as her breathing regulated and she fell into the land of blissful unawareness.

Emma was in a bad mood the next day. She'd had a nightmare about Regina and Henry that had woken her after a scant 4 hours of sleep. After that she couldn't quite force herself back to sleep, and she walked into work with her nerves already frayed and on the edge of snapping at the next person who looked at her wrong.

When Regina walked in all bright and perky, ready to make Emma upset, she found Emma was more than willing to take on her barbs today. The two spat and hissed at each other, showing teeth and exchanging sharp words. It made Emma crazy, and she decided to leave the office. There was no way she was getting anything effective done today.

After all, Regina, the psycho bitch, had broken into their apartment to frame Mary Margaret for Kathryn's 'murder.' August was due to install a new lock on their door that the mayor couldn't get into. In fact, he was at the hardware store right now getting the equipment for said lock. Walking back to Mary Margaret's apartment, Emma decided to just take the day off and relax a little. Her bad mood would make anything but an emergency difficult to handle. But first, she was going to make a stop at Gold's shop…

Emma went home and showered and was just making herself a small snack when August walked through the door with the new lock. He kissed her briefly as a hello, and then went to work on the door. Mary Margaret had just come down stairs when he finished.

"No one is getting through that." August stood back and let the women admire his handiwork.

"Wow. When are you installing the torture chamber?" Emma joked at him, but she had to admit the lock looked nice.

"You don't like it? I call it medieval chic." He grinned back at her.

"I don't care what it looks like, as long as it keeps Regina and her skeleton keys out," Mary Margaret said heatedly.

"This is pretty handy for a writer. Where did you learn how to do all this?" Emma was half joking, but she was curious about where he'd gotten all these assorted skills from.

"Wood shop, eight grade." August replied off handedly as Mary Margaret left for school.

Emma headed out the door, determined to give work a second try. She didn't want to just sit around the house today. Suddenly the walkie talkie on her belt buzzed with static and Henry's voice came through.

"Emma, we have a situation with Operation Cobra. Meet me at the school, asap."

"Emma, wait up!" August called from behind her. She had been so lost in thoughts about Henry and Regina that she hadn't even noticed that he was following her. She looked over her shoulder to see August jogging to catch up.

"You heard the kid, Operation Cobra calls." She waved the walkie talkie over her shoulder at him and kept moving, but he caught up to her in a few seconds.

"I didn't think you believed any of that."

"I don't, but sometimes it's the only way to get through to Henry."

"A custody battle against Regina isn't going to accomplish anything. You need to look at the big picture. That's the only way you're going to understand what you're up against. That's the only way you'll know how to beat Regina."

"Okay, new guy. How's that?" She looked at him skeptically, trying not to let the indignation of this guy telling her how she should handle the situation with her son sink into her heart.

"Take the day off. Come with me and I'll show you."

"And where exactly would we be going on this magical mystery tour?" Lover or not, he was starting to get irritating right now.

"If I told you, you would never come." Emma turned away, of course she wasn't going to go with him if that was all she was going to give her. "Come on. Take a leap of faith. You come with me and I promise you, you'll find exactly what you're looking for." She turned around to look into his desperate face. He really wanted her to ditch Henry and go with him.

"My kid needs me. I don't have time for faith." Emma walked away.

His insistence to do things secretively, and with a hint of The curse, to them was getting to be annoying. She was falling for him, and it would hurt to have to leave him now, but she couldn't be with someone who believed in this crazy curse nonsense. And someone who thought she was their savior. She wasn't the next Jesus. It wasn't going to happen, and then they'd all be disappointed in her. She wasn't going to let that happen here.

_**A/N:**__ I sincerely apologize for the delay in the posting. It has been a very stressful two weeks, and I have been very busy, not to mention emotional. I am planning on starting another fanfic here soon (maybe smutty/maybe not) but it won't be Wooden Swan/Mad Swan. Please understand readers, that this is fanfiction will be concluded by the end of 2012. Hope you all enjoyed this chapter and don't want to stone me too much. _


	7. Chapter 7

Author: My-Sexy-Meagan

Characters: Emma, August, Jefferson

Rating: M

Disclaimer: I own nothing but my fantasies. If I did own anything Once related it would most definitely be Rumple, but sadly I do not :(

_**A/N:**__ I feel a brief A/N: is needed at the beginning of the story. I am quite simply skipping the story that has already been told via the show. This story will tell the tales that happen in between the episodes. I refuse to type out a summary of the show. I hope you guys don't mind. Also here is where my story will begin to diverge from the show. _

Chapter 7

Emma sat up on watch around the fire that night. After having to deal with Cora today, and the stress of finally, emotionally accepting the fact that all of this was real, her mind just would not stop going around in circles.

Her mind traveled back to August and she felt all the despair flood into her veins. He had been right the entire time, and she had called him crazy and a fool. She had told him that he couldn't count on her, and now he was dead. She just hadn't seemed to have much luck with guys since she'd come to Storybrooke (or before that if she would let herself think about it).

First Graham had kissed her and then died, just one short day later. Now August had tried to guide her to the right answers and she had ignored him for a 'rational' reason.

All of her lonliness (not necessarily for lack of company, but for lack of someone to hold her at night) came rushing in as the night wore on. Her tears rolled down her face as her lonliness peaked.

If Mulan noticed the tears on her face when she woke her up for her watch, she didn't let on. Emma let the tears continue to fall down herface as she layed down to attempt sleep. If only she had listened to August earlier.

Gold sat in the back of his shop. Belle had fallen asleep on his couch and he'd covered her with a blanket and left to do some of his finer work. Next to him sat his leather box. He slowly reached over on the shelf next to him and grabbed his scroll. This scroll was so old that it was almost illegible. But it was almost a habitual action. He didn't really need to read over the directions for this magic.

His hands moved while his mind processed the pros and cons for this situation. He needed to break the repercussion curse that had been placed after Emma had broken the original one. His magic was still strong, but her magic was stronger in this world. She had been born, raised, and imprinted with the magic that was inherited of this world.

Her magic was a combination of science and technology; a combination of the maliciousness and the glories of human nature. She knew scepticism, but she also believed in the power of magic now. She had no choice but to succumb to that belief. Magic had saved her son, so she would be eternally grateful to it. Wether or not she chose to use the power that came with her magic, he couldn't know just quite yet. However, she had a very strong magic that he could harness; if she was here, that was.

He reached into his case and pulled out his baggies with the hairs from Emma and Mary Margaret. He knew that Emma wouldn't cooperate without her long lost mother in the picture. Plus Snow White had this pesky habit of getting out of sticky situations and making people who had put her in them regret it.

He re-read the scroll to double check the wording of the spell, not that he really needed to. The chant was a simple one, in the old tongue of magic which he just so happened to be fluent in.

The spell was a fairly uncomplicated one too, and it only required the barest touch of magic. Transportation spells only needed a drop to call back the person that you were trying to move. A small object with the person's essence on it, a touch of magic, and the right words were all it took to call someone's body back to the place it had been a little while before.

The spell was put together very quickly, and it worked immediately. Rumplestiltskin had forgotten that time flowed differently in Fairytale Land, however. And unfortunately, upon the start of the spell, Emma and Snow had grabbed onto their traveling companions. So he know had to deal with four princesses that were in a bad mood from lack of sleep. Mulan had immediately brandished her sword in his face and demanded that he send her back to the refugees.

"I can't do that, dearie. A transportation spell is one way. Once you're moved to another realm you can't travel back unless it's through a portal. Or if someone on the other side performs a transportation spell as well. So, you see, I can't send you back, no matter how much I want to. And trust me, I want you back there and not here brandishing a sword up my nose."

"This is ridiculous. I can't stay here. I need to get back to the refugees." Mulan seemed to grow taller the angrier she got.

"I've already told you, dearie. I can't send you back. If you hadn't decided to hitch a ride with Emma and Snow, then you would have stayed back in the world you clearly wish you were in. Now please, if you would kindly sheath that beast? Hmmm, that's a good dear."

Mulan glared at him, debating on really shoving her sword up his nose.

"Alright guys, we're back. There's nothing we can do about Fairytale Land right now. Mulan, Aurora, you're just going to have to wait until we have the ability to send you back. And I'm assuming that Gold has a reason for bringing us back. Isn't that right Gold?" Emma turned her raised brow towards him, crossing her arms over her chest.

"Ah, I can see I should have waited until it was daylight to retrieve you. Well, how about for right now you four get some sleep, a hot meal, and a shower and then we can talk?"

"Sounds good to me. We all need to be functioning at our peaks. Plus I haven't had a chance to see my husband for more than 8 hours. I would like to spend a little time with him again before we begin on our next adventure. If Rumplestiltskin has anything to do with it, then it's going to be dangerous." Snow took charge of the group, and Emma shot her a grateful look, she needed to check on Henry and see how he was fairing. She was bound to get an "I told you so," from him now that he was feeling better.

"Mulan and Aurora can have a spare room in one of my buildings down the street. It's right next door to Snow White's apartment. You can keep an eye on them, provide with them anything they need that isn't already installed in the apartment. Also you can familiarize them with showers and modern appliances."

"Alright, guys. Welcome to Storybrooke." Emma greeted them with a sarcastic smile.

"How was it settling them in?" Emma asked Mary Margaret. They had decided that Mary Margaret could settle the two princesses in next door while Emma showered.

"It was actually quite funny. When I showed them how to light the stove, Aurora screamed and Mulan had tried to shut it off with her sword. If I hadn't jumped between her and it, I fear that Gold would be a little upset with them for ruining a nice stove." Snow White chuckled a little at what had to be a funny memory, and Emma fliped her head upside down to towel off her hair a little before running a comb through her tangles. The one thing she hadn't missed had been the electricity and indoor plumbing.

"Well, Henry is in bed right now, but I'll be able to see him after a full night's rest. I've already checked in on him," Emma added after seeing the clear question on her mother's face.

" I know. I figured you had, I was just curious as to why you hadn't actually woken him up to see him." Mary Margaret was quiet, but she wasn't accusing or dissapointed. That's what Emma loved about her mother.

"I have all day tomorrow to hear him lecture me about how he was right, and how I should have listened to him all along. And I don't know about you, but I don't really feel like hearing a 10 year old spout off convictions that just so happened to be true to me." Emma smiled though, because she knew it'd be worth it to hear her son chastize her.

Snow just laughed at her and made a kettle of tea, making sure to grab it off the stove top before it whistled and woke Henry up. Charming joined them for tea, and they all got caught up. It was still hard for Emma to believe it all though. Her parents were Snow White and Prince Freaking Charming. How odd that was, to look for your parents all your life and not be able to find them, only to stumble across them when your own son finds you. Then on top of all of that, they just so happen to be fairytale characters?

The conversation had just died down, with her parents holding hands and the empty mugs sitting on the table before Emma swallowed her pride and looked at her father.

"August?" She looked at his face closely, hoping, but not daring to hope at the same time. His face told her the answer in the plainest terms she needed to hear.

"I'm sorry, Emma," he let go of his wife's hand and moved over next to her and put an arm around her shoulder. "Gipetto went to his room at Granny's and there wasn't a trace of him. Henry told me that he was turning back into wood before the curse struck. No one knows what happened when it was reversed." He squeezed her shoulder against the side of his chest.

Doing somthing completely out of her character, Emma turned and hugged her father around his rib cage. Normally she would feel awkward about this kind of contact, but the whole situation had her out of her element anyways.

"I went to his room right before the curse broke. He was completely wooden. He's dead now." Her voice was as wooden as his face had been that day. Her throat swelled painfully and she wanted to cry, but she couldn't let that happen right now. When she climbed the stairs later to go to sleep she would let herself grieve, but she wouldn't ruin her parents' homecoming. Thankfully Mary Margaret saved her by yawning and telling them that they should all be going to sleep for the busy day ahead.

As Emma curled up in her warm bed that night she thought about how much August had meant to her. No one had meant that much to her since she'd gotten pregnant with Henry. And now they were both gone, neither one coming back. She would be all alone in whatever world she lived in. She had her son and her parents, but it seemed that fate hadn't been too kind when it had cast the die for her lovelife. She wouldn't let that stop her from loving her son fully, however. For the first time in her life, Emma let her tears soak her pillow as it cooled her hot face while she drifted off into happy dreams where August was still alive.


	8. Chapter 8

Author: My-Sexy-Meagan

Characters: Emma, August, Jefferson

Rating: M

Disclaimer: I own nothing but my fantasies. If I did own anything Once related it would most definitely be Rumple, but sadly I do not :(

Chapter 8

Emma sat at the table in her mother's apartment staring down at her empty tea cup. She could pretend that everything was okay around her parents and Henry, but when she was by herself she let herself dwell on her lonliness for a little while.

Her despairing thoughts were interrupted by a knock on the door. She wondered who was at the apartment when her parents were out, and who felt the need to knock on the door and wait for an answer anymore. It seemed that the townspeople took her parents' abode for their old castle where they could welcome themselves into the living room with just a brief introduction before getting down to business.

They'd only been in Storybrooke for less than 72 hours, and were still recuperating. Mulan and Aurora had been settled in and were starting to get used to the modern appliances like electricity and indoor plumbing. Her thoughts occupied her weary mind while her feet carried her to the door. She didn't bother with the peep hole anymore, any person who came to Snow White's apartment would stay there until their problem was resolved or they were told that their problem would have to wait. So even if she ignored the door, whoever it was would most likely just wait until her parents got back.

She opened the door and got a little shock as she saw Jefferson standing in front of her.

"Hello, Emma," he greeted her with a truely genuine smile, at least genuine for Jefferson. It only contained a hint of the madness that lurked at the edges of his conciousness. "I was hoping you'd be in today."

Emma's mind had temporarily shut off at the site of him in front of her door, but now it was in full swing again. He would be here because August was out of the picture. He would want to collect on his promised dates. He still had 3 date nights and 2 coffee dates left, and she had no doubt that he would take full advantage of them now.

"Aren't you going to invite me in? I am a guest, you know." There was the demanding side of Jefferson, but his face softened enough to show Emma that he hand't meant it to sound as rude as it had.

"Sure." She stepped back and he walked in. She shut the door behind him and moved back to the kitchen table. Picking up her mug she took it over to the sink and set it down inside. She leaned against the edge of the sink, bracing herself for the talk that was about to come. She was so tired of putting on a facade for everyone. She wasn't going to do it for the madman. If he really wanted to collect on his dates, she wasn't going to stop him.

"So, I came by to welcome you back. It seems like the town has forgotten their manners. I, for one, am glad that you made it back. Can you tell me how you managed to travel without a portal creater or a magic bean?" He wasn't being snide, but he wasn't genuinely curious either. He wanted to get straight down to business, and Emma could tell.

"Gold. He cast a transportation spell with a hair from my mother and I. Mulan and Aurora came as a side effect." She left it at that. If he wanted details, he would have to wait until she could deal with anything more than her parents and Henry. "I know you've come to collect on your dates. You can schedule them if you want, but I have the right to veto them. Gold needs us, and my parents are still working on a way to get us back. My schedule is kind of full right now, but I won't deny you the dates that I promised you." Emma knew she was being brusque, and even a little hostile, but she was beyond the point of caring.

Jefferson moved around the table to her side. He put his hand over the one she had laid on the kitchen table. His thumb traced soothing circles into her skin. She just looked over his shoulder. She didn't need this right now. He was only trying to get in her pants, and she really wasn't ready to get over Augsut. She always took forever getting over a guy. He'd be lucky if she'd stop mourning for her lost lover in 2 years.

"Emma, please look at me. Ah, that's better. I'm not here to push you too far. I've tried bullying and cowing people into doing things for me, and that's sometimes the best way to handle certain situations. This, however, is not one of them. I'm only here to offer you some support. I can see that you're suffering. That you're putting on a brave face for those that you love and care about." He moved his other hand under her chin when she dropped it from his gaze. "No, look at me. I'm being sincere here. I do have feelings for you, and I will collect on those dates sometime in the future. But right now, I can let you grieve. I know about grief."

Emma gave a little scoff and went to move away from him. His grip tightened on her wrist, and his hand moved down to her shoulder to turn her towards him again.

"I'm not done yet. You may think that I know nothing of grief, but let me tell you a little story. I once had a wife. She was the most gorgeous woman I've ever met, and we fell in love." His eyes took on a distant look and Emma almost pulled away from him again. If he was trying to court her, telling her about his past love wasn't going to help him any. "But we were foolish. Her name was Alice. We were adventurers. We lived happily, going through my hat to many worlds, plundering the riches there. We made many dark deals, but we always got what we wanted. Then we found out that Alice was pregnant. For the first three months Alice and I looted as much as we could, stealing gold and money so we could afford to take care of our child. The last six months we spent getting ready in our world. We bought a nice, homey cottage. We spent days painting the nursery and I even managed to craft a cradle for our child. When Alice had Grace, we decided to give up our lives as world plunderers. Up until then I had been doing special missions for the queen. Gathering items that were important to her. She paid me well, and was quite happy with my services. But when I told her that we were done with our old ways because our daughter had been born, she was very much so displeased. She hounded me, making threats on Alice and Grace's lives. She said she only needed one more thing done. One more errand and I'd be free to live my life with Alice and Grace." Emma was so captivated in his story that she almost didn't notice the sad look in his eyes. His hands began to tremble on her shoulder and her wrist, so Emma turned to face him fully.

"Well, let's just suffice to say that the queen had done what she'd always done best. She tricked us. I lost Alice, and Grace was left with only a father to care for her. I wish so hard every day that I hadn't done it, that I'd just moved my family into another world where the queen wouldn't be able to touch us, but I didn't. I'd thought that everything would work out in the end, but the queen had ruined our happiness. I still grieve for Alice. What we had was the ultimate happiness. But happiness can only be accomplished with some level of obliviousness. The only reason I had to hold on to life was for my beautiful daughter. Then I was tricked once more by the queen. Why I had even decided to take on that last mission, I have no idea. I figured that the queen couldn't possibly take a little girl's father from her, but I assumed wrongly." Jefferson's hands had quit trembling to the point that only small little quivers gave way how he felt. His eyes cleared slowly and he looked at Emma again, and finally saw her. "Yes, I have feelings for you. Yes I'm crazy. Yes, you probably shouldn't trust me, especially after what I did to you and your mother. But I can help you with your grief. I can teach you how to live again. Show you how to not just fake it for the ones you care about. Eventually they'll see through everything. They'll see that you aren't really happy. And that's when problems start. Luckily for me, Grace wasn't old enough to see through my guises and I learned how to go on for her before she was old enough to tell the difference."

Emma couldn't help but stand there and let Jefferson continue to rub circles into her skin. It was nice to feel like someone understood what she was going through. It helped her cope somewhat. To have someone there, a warm body to touch her and understand what was going on, that was what she needed most.

"I can't do anything for you, Jefferson. I can't give you what you want, and you know that you're going to help me get through all of my darkest days." Emma dropped her gaze from his again, and he tipped her chin up once more.

"I don't expect anything in return from you. I just want to help you get back to the person you were before. I miss the person you used to be. I can tell the difference, just from watching you since you've been back." Jefferson looked in her eyes. She felt some kind of connection, even if it wasn't the same type as the one she'd had with August.

His arms felt good wrapping around her. The hug was the first time that she'd let another person touch her so intimately since being sucked through that portal to Fairytale Land. The side of her cheek rested against his collar bone, and she closed her eyes enjoying the feeling of having a heart beating in a chest under her fingers.

They stood there like that for what felt like eternity. Emma only focused on her breath and the heart beating under her fingers. It was a different approach, and one that she thought she could get used to.

_**A/N:**__ I'm sorry that this chapter is so short, guys. But I appreciate all the love, and the minimal amount of August hate. I'll be finishing this story soon. Hopefully over the Thanksgiving Break we get from school, I'll get a lot of writing done. My early New Year's Goal is to finish this story by December 31st, 2012. Hope it turns out like you guys enjoy. :) Props to the reviews: _

_**scifigirl10:**__** "This is great. I'm interested to see Jefferson get back in the picture! Please continue soon!**__"_

_Thanks scifigirl10. I appreciate the Jefferson enthusiasm, but he's in the next few chapters. I promise everyone that Jefferson will have a regular part from Chapter 8 onwards. _

_**ForEver-A-DayDreamer:**__** "Who cares about August where's Jefferson?" **_

_August is very essential to the plot right now, but Jefferson is coming. (Kinky ;) ) And should be in the picture until the end of the story. _

_**Make war not love. war is fun:**__** "cool story so far tho I prefer emma with either jefferson or killian as to me that are the only gorgous guys in the show." **_

_Thank you for the compliment, and I agree with you about Killian and Jefferson being gorgeous, but I would have to include Rumplestiltskin and August in there. _

_Thanks again to all of you who give me POSITIVE criticism. I really learn what you guys want from it, although I'm pretty sure I'm just the medium for the story to spring forward from. See you again in Chapter 9 :)_


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